Deep-Thought Workshop

Entrelac Shaping - 1 (progressive increase in size of individual blocks)

2011-06-12T20:59:00.000-07:00

End of tier 1

Completed swatch: base triangles and 4 tiers

Set up each base triangle with 5 stitches.

Tier 1 block: Pick up 5 stitches and continue until 2 stitches remain on the bottom triangle to which it attaches. Increase the number of rows in this block by skipping one 'attach' stitch (in this case p2tog). Essentially, a short row is employed to add 2 extra rows to the block. Continue to finish. Repeat for each block in the tier.

Tier 2 block: Now you're picking up stitches from the elongated blocks of tier 1. So pick up extra stitches accordingly. In this case, 6 (instead of 5). Use short row as before to add 2 extra rows to this widened block. Repeat for each block in the tier.

Tier 3 block: Pick up 6 stitches and elongate by 6 extra rows placing the short rows evenly.

Tier 4 block: Pick up (6+(6/2)), ie, 9 stitches and add 6 extra rows as in tier 3 blocks.

And so on. It takes 2 tiers to complete an increase. The first tier makes the blocks longer. The second makes them wider and you're done with that specific increase.

The woven fabric is simple but each 'band' radiates outwards in ever increasing size. This creates a spiraling effect.

The other method of creating bigger blocks are:

alternative 1:

each tier: pick up n extra stitches and also elongate by nx2 rows. This would take 1 tier instead of 2 for a single step of increase.

Entrelac Possibilities

2011-06-10T21:09:00.000-07:00

Statutory Warning: this post is link-heavy and photo-lean.

Most entrelac patterns (eg: Danica, Motley on Knitty) are built square. Entrelac vests, jackets, scarves, cowls, sleeve cuffs etc are mostly rectangular/cylindrical chunks pieced together. Compromising on shaping just to be able to construct fabric a different way had seemed like an academic pursuit with little real application. Recently, I chanced upon Fuzzy Jay's blog and his work in creating 3-D geometric shapes. Sure, this was still very academic but advanced. Breaking free from the rectangle got me intrigued.

With my first swatch out of the way, Mum and I incorporated some lacy entrelac patterning into the hood. I'll post pics of the project soon - I'm calling it 'Red Riding Hood's Envy'.

I thought I'd seen all in entrelac when Eunny Jang's Cochin Shrug happened. You'll find 2 photos at the bottom of this page. The construction of the shrug has just blown my mind. Since I saw it first, I have spent every spare hour of my waking (and sleeping) hour 'unventing' it in my head.

After sketching over and over, this is how I think it is built: 2 identical flared tubes are joined at the back. Each flared tube is created by casting on (for the edge of a sleeve) and increasing the size of blocks in every tier. Over half of it is sealed with triangles to form the front edge and lower edge of back of that half. The second one is knit identical to this and joined at the center back of each side with new blocks connecting the two shapes. I am in process of testing my theory.

But first, I need to get a good handle on shaping entrelac knit circular . There seem to be a few options for widening the diameter of a tube:

1. increase number of blocks in a tier for rapid widening

2. increase block size in each tier for a more gradual flare

- I could either pick an extra stitch while picking up for a new block

- or, I could knit extra rows by skipping a p2tog or ssk that connects 2 blocks

The former affects the woven pattern in very interesting ways. I plan on testing out these methods and also test the decrease with each method. Fun fun! Will keep you posted - next time with pics. :)

Twisted Stitch Trellis - Stitch Pattern

2011-06-08T09:25:00.000-07:00

Challenges of knitting diagonal stitch pattern in the flat

2011-06-05T21:23:00.000-07:00

Stitch pattern:

1: *[M1], k1, p1 (to create garter column of 1 st), ssk, k - rep from *

2: all even rows (WS) purl

The idea is to create slanting columns of garter, flanked by stockinette.

Versions of this stitch pattern are very popular in round knitting and are most suited for hats. What happens if I knit this flat?

Try 1: (top image)

Work an imaginary tube. The diagonal columns fall off the left edge and new diagonal columns start from the right edge. With this, the fabric grows diagonally but in the opposite direction!! Whaat!! I charted it out and confirmed this to be fact.

Try 2: (bottom image)

So I figured all I had to do was kill the extra stitches on the right edge and increase stitches on the left edge. Simple right? This time I charted first and the chart looked alright. I then swatched it. The fabric didn't grow straight up. Instead, it now slanted to the left, along the diagonal columns of the stitch pattern.

I can explain this phenomenon - there is no stitch in the fabric that is oriented along the cartesian y-axis (given that the bottom edge of swatch is x-axis). Each stitch is either at approx 45 deg or 135 deg. To get a rectangular fabric out of this, I'd have to device a half-stitch-decrease on the right edge and similarly a half-stitch increase on the left edge for every RS row.

I will give this one more try and post my results. If not, perhaps a different combination of stitches will achieve a similar fabric but one that grows as a rectangle.

My first entrelac swatch

2011-06-05T20:35:00.001-07:00

After ages, I invested in a knitting book - Rosemary Drysdale's 'Entrelac: The Essential Guide to Interlace Knitting'. I proudly present my first swatch. I quickly started playing with stitch patterns within each block, created some shaping, and changed colors.

Other mods I made are a bit hidden:

1. I pick up n stitches to start a block. The book recommends knitting another row in pattern. On the third row, you start to do ssk or p2tog. I saw that this was creating 2 extra rows of fabric for every block. My modification: pick up n stitches. Put the nth stitch back on the left needle and either ssk or p2tog (depending on direction of block) with the first stitch of the abutting block from below.

2. A second mod is to just slip the first stitch of every row instead of knit or purl. This makes it easier to pick up stitches from the edge later, and looks much neater.

On a different note, this is my first e-book from VK's in-app store on my iPad. My first reaction to the user experience was 'eh'. It is not the most intuitive interface to begin with but does have most features necessary for ease of navigation. Until I figured out how to quickly move between one part of the book to another (and you can do that, yes), I was actually flipping gazillion pages. If you ask me now though, I love it. The only thing I'd miss with digital books is keeping 5 different books open for reference all at once.

'Rain Drops in Breeze' Stitch Pattern

2011-06-05T20:16:00.001-07:00

First the pattern notes:

Every odd row is knit (if circular) or purled on WS of flat knitting.

RT: knit 2 tog, do not slip off stitches, knit second stitch on left needle, and slip off both.

All other stitches (blank cells) in chart are knit stitches.

For circular knitting, omit the left-most column and knit over multiple of 6 stitches.

Innocuous enough? This stitch pattern is special because it emerged after a marathon of swatching. My requirement was to achieve a soft texture that is easy on the eye but - here's the catch - without adding bulk. My yarn? chunky weight.

For folks who want to add some shadows to large areas of plain stockinette, I'd recommend trying this out. When knit over an area, the fabric reminds you of raindrops in breeze.

Marching Penguins Border Pattern

2011-05-28T11:31:00.000-07:00

A non-curling border that combines linen stitch and seed stitch. Designed to especially suit chunky yarns. I have included the chart and index. If knitting in round, omit the last column and knit this up over multiple of two stitches.

I used cable cast on for the swatch in picture. When you join it in the round, you see purl bumps on the outside. I used this row as the very first row of the border to give an added decorative edge.

Somebody tame the web!

2011-05-18T19:33:00.000-07:00

Among my most propelling reasons to launch and maintain my blog was this: web-logging had caught on like a blaze, empowering everybody with a very simple, yet powerful publishing tool. RSS was the hip thing. I wanted to engage in this community and find out first hand what it was all about. A blog is your personal story you want to share with anyone who'd care to listen - you piece the words, the images, the videos and tell a story. Despite the anarchy and consternation it created in the formal publishing world, this was the last that the voice of the web would be this coherent.

XML feed - a standardized presentation of data - is the foundation of this technology. So regardless of blogspot or typepad or wordpress or your own private installation, everyone can subscribe to everyone else's blogs. One other technology that bloggers need to thank: the browser. Its what made access to your blog platform-agnostic.

Multiple changes have coincided since then:
1. the collective amorphous voice of the web is less interested in writing a story and more in sharing raw data in real time
2. the 'cloud' has developed a gluttonous appetite to absorb data
3. the web has long grown out of the browser and into mobile apps
4. walled gardens have set up camp and very successfully too

The result? Crazy s***load of data pushed into the cloud every day. This is not too bad really. What the web is struggling with currently is fragmentation. And that's directly influenced by 3 and 4 above.

You can upload videos in youtube or presentations in slideshare etc. And even though you're using different services, you have the power to stitch them all together, any which way you like by embedding links or scripts into your html. Not so with walled gardens - the most famous one being FB. Interestingly, FB exploits the open access of the web (eg: those ubiquitous 'like' buttons in non-FB parts of the web) while guarding studiously its own space from external services.

Mobile apps have created a different problem altogether. iTunes - another walled garden - is the platform that created mobile apps. Mobile apps are inherently platform dependent. Your total available reader-base is limited by the platform on which the app runs on.

The web today is fragmented. The question is 'so what?'. So what if the basic tenets of the 'world wide web' and its courier service, the lowly browser have been challenged?
1. The online audience is now fragmented. It was that you could publish at http://www and potentially get visited by everybody with network connectivity. Not anymore. You may be online but not logged into specific online platform. You may be online but on a specific mobile device. If you now yearn for the 'global presence' that once used to be served with a simple domain installation, here's your minimum investment:
a. website b. facebook page c. twitter account d. mobile apps - atleast one for apple and another for android (and I won't even get into the various flavors of android)

That's minimum. If you're a knitter and selling patterns, you gotta be on ravelry.

The other add-ons would be a 'channel' on youtube to publish videos, podcasts (the personal radio channel - are they still alive?), etsy or other marketplaces (if you're selling things), HP's magcloud (if you're selling pdfs), betterfly (if you're selling instructional classes). This is just to give you a taste of things. I do not claim to know all the individual services available out there. Point is, there are way many and way too scattered.

2. Along these lines, one quickly starts seeing the effort in managing a coherent, visible and dynamic online presence. Apps are clearly for the big players but even between publishing on your website, and re-publishing on every credible closed platform, that's a lot of re-work. And with how frequently the web expects to get refresh data, that's a load of work.

3. That was the publishing entity's story. But what about the consumer? Researching information online is turning into black art. A very important section of the internet may be completely hidden in your blind spot and you will never know.

4. Finally, fragmentation of a single user's cyber presence.

In all this, I haven't even touched upon google gadgets and facebook apps. Neither those 234 buttons to share, tag and bookmark links.

Google's search is not good enough anymore. RSS aggregators are old news. The new problems need 2 unified platforms:
1. one to publish
2. another to consume

Life would be simple again!

Conjoined i-cord - New Technique

2011-05-09T22:54:00.000-07:00

Knit 2 i-cords (of different colored yarn for better effect) side-by-side on a dpn, and twist the yarn once every row. What you get is a perfect join between 2 i-cords.

This creates a double-width i-cord while keeping structural integrity and allowing for multiple colors. Here is an example of how you can use it.

String of Blooms Scarf

2011-05-08T11:18:00.000-07:00

Yarn:
Hand-painted 100% pima cotton picked up from Oakland TKGA 2006. This one has made several appearances on my blog: here, here and here.
The second yarn is also a 100% pima cotton I picked up from michaels, a dusty red. I had used it to make this.

Needles:
DPNs - the size of your choice

Abbreviations:
C1: color 1
C2: color 2
DPN: double pointed needle

Skill required: i-cord

Knitty's Nagano Sakura has been haunting my knit-thoughts over the years. That scarf is as much art as it is a wearable. I just couldn't get to make it though. I finally figured why: it is a felted scarf but useless as warm-wear. Perfect for Summer in its styling but not so much in its construction. String of Blooms solves these issues with a new method of creating attached i-cords instead of felting a stockinette strip.

Cast on 3 stitches of C1 and knit about 5 inches of i-cord. On a different dpn, cast on 3 stitches with C2 and knit 8 inches of i-cord. Slip the live stitches of this second i-cord on the same needle as the C1 i-cord alongside, with the same orientation.
Row 1: twist the 2 yarns, knit first 3 stitches continuing in i-cord with first yarn; knit next 3 stitches with second yarn, making sure you tug at the twist so there is no slack.
Continue knitting this row until required length (about 50 inches)

For a tutorial on this method of making conjoined i-cord, read further here.

Now slip the first 3 to a different dpn and knit the 2 i-cords separately for another 5-10 inches and bind off.

Knit a few flowers and attach. I'll write a separate post on different styles of making knitted flowers.

Green Pig (Angry Birds)

2011-05-01T07:21:00.000-07:00

Now my Angry Birds series is complete.

Red Delicious and Granny Smith

2011-05-01T06:54:00.000-07:00

Apples. Each took about an hour of work from start to finish.

Knitty is not alone

2011-04-29T08:31:00.001-07:00

The world of online knitting magazines and pattern stores has evolved. I have listed down my findings below:

Free Magazines much like Knitty

Petite Purls

Vintage Purls (NZ website)

Knotions

Daily Knitter

Pop Knits

For the Love of Yarn

Paid Subscription Magazine:

KnitNet

Knit Circus

Love of knitting

Pattern Shop:

Twist Collective

PatternFish (a little like Twist Collective but more like etsy/ebay for pattern pdfs)

quinceandco.com

Ysolda

Fluid - A Scarf

2011-04-27T13:08:00.000-07:00

'Fluid' describes the movement in this scarf perfectly. If left un-blocked, it turns, bends, twists and curls with a mind of its own. This fluidity is encouraged by diagonal construction and blocks of stockinette and reverse stockinette. It is kept in check by rows of eyelets with garter borders that separate the blocks. When blocked, it drapes elegantly, with a touch of glamor.

You can customize the scarf by changing the number of cast on stitches and the length of stockinette and reverse stockinette blocks. Suggested numbers for each of these dimensions are in brackets.

(scroll to the bottom for index of abbreviations.)

Gauge: 14 S x 18 R for 4"x4" in stockinette
Final width of scarf: approximately 4"

Pattern Notes:
knit-DIAG: sl1, M1, knit till last 3 stitches, k2tog, k1
purl-DIAG: sl1, inc1 by ptfb, purl till last 3 stitches, p2tog tbl, p1
eyelet-row: sl1, rep [yo, k2tog] till end, k1
stockinette: knit RS, purl WS
reverse stockinette: purl RS, knit WS

First stitch is always slipped. Slip purlwise for purl row and knitwise for knit row to keep it consistent.

Setup:
CO even number of stitches. (18 S)
WS: knit

Alternate next 2 blocks of pattern until the scarf is 55" long.

Stockinette Block:
ROW 1 (RS): eyelet-row
ROW 2 (WS): purl
ROW 3 (RS): purl-DIAG
ROW 4 (WS): purl (begin stockinette)
Continue stockinette for next even number of rows (18 R), end with WS
Next Row (RS): purl-DIAG
Next Row (WS): purl

Reverse Stockinette Block:
ROW 1 (RS): eyelet-row
ROW 2 (WS): knit
ROW 3 (RS): knit-DIAG
ROW 4 (WS): knit (begin reverse stockinette )
Continue reverse stockinette for next even number of rows (18 R), end with WS
Next Row (RS): knit-DIAG
Next Row (WS): knit

Bind off:
Bind off in-pattern instead of the last row of the block. You can choose either block as the last one. I ended mine with Stockinette Block to keep it symmetric.

Abbreviations:
RS: right side
WS: wrong side
R: rows
S: stitches

Protected by Copyright.
Note from author: You may use this original pattern free of cost on condition that you mention the source deepthoughtworkshop.blogspot.com or provide the link to this page.

Brioche Trim Vest

2011-04-23T01:22:00.000-07:00

Two color Latvian braid (search for video on youtube) is used to finish all edges of this vest. The bottom and neck bands are knit with 2-color brioche knit in the round.

This vest is knit in the round upto the arm shaping. Bust shaping is achieved by short rows.

Ganache - a mosaic vest

2011-04-23T00:58:00.000-07:00

Mum made this vest using a Barbara Walker mosaic pattern. The trickiest bit was to keep the pattern going despite the neck and armhole shaping. The back of the vest is knit in a simpler color-work pattern, highlighting the lone band of Barbara's mosaic at the very bottom. The other detail in this vest is the dark-chocolate color of the neckband and armholes while the rest of the vest is knit with brown-gray and milk-chocolate. I can see this vest enjoying a fulfilling life of wear.

Shower of Lace

2011-04-23T00:35:00.001-07:00

While browsing through the patterns in Ravelry, I came across Murcia, a free download shawl pattern by 'They Call Me Stacey'. The lace pattern of that shawl is what I used to make this curtain. The tension rod is a 14 dollar purchase and fits snugly in the shower window.

For the cast on, I used the Estonian method, but with single strand of yarn, following it up with 2 rows of knit stitches. I mimicked the look in the bind off by creating a similar garter band before casting off.

Here is a video demonstrating the cast on method: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Frc5_9AIVy0

Recipe
Cast on stitches for N repeats of the pattern + 4. Use Estonian method to cast on.
2 stitches on each edge are knit in garter for the selvage. Determine the number of repeats for required width, given your specific gauge.

Continue knitting in lace pattern to achieve desired length. End with WS. Purl all stitches the next 2 rows to create the ridge. Bind off in purl and weave in ends.

Weave the tension rod through the holes in the lace.

Neck-Turtle

2011-04-22T23:52:00.000-07:00

I was in Vancouver last November. The snow, the coffee, more snow and oh the coffee - I had to knit, darn it! I located an LYS, bought some yarn and a circular needle and knit this up free-form, with no notions whatsoever, not even tape measure. I loved this project every stitch of the way; it completed my picture: snow, coffee and knitting. Perfect!

Recipe
This project is knit top-down, flat and seamed in the end. Check the gauge on a swatch of 2x2 ribbing. Cast on enough stitches so when the ribbing is relaxed, the total width is 10 inches. It should stretch to over twice that for it to accommodate the head circumference while wearing it.

My pattern has 3 rib columns create a single section that is repeated around for symmetry. So my CO number of stitches is a multiple of 6.

Knit 2x2 ribbing. Continue for 5 inches. Start the increasing. I used cable cross-overs to add interest while increasing with yarn overs and make one stitches. The key is to repeat the pattern in sections around.

Continue increasing over the next 3-5 inches depending on the length you need. Picot bind off adds a ruffle-like finish.

Tri-oche Scarf

2011-04-22T23:24:00.000-07:00

Brioche is fascinating. It looks deceptively like stockinette and yet, conspicuously like not. Strong and architectural visually, yet squishy and stretchy to wear. BriocheStitch.com was my go-to reference for this scarf. I used soft Valley Yarns merino in worsted weight.

Mum knit this scarf so beautifully. It was to be a gift for my sister. Greedy pays - its mine now. :)

Recipe
Select 3 colours that have a fair amount of contrast to create a bold look. Mine were gray, blue and coffee.
CO an even number in coffee
Next row: knit the regular brioche stitch in gray
Next row: knit the regular brioche stitch in blue
continue knitting in brioche with every row a different color. Drop the color you knitted the row with, pick up the other yarn available on that side (there will only be one other yarn on that side) and continue knitting.
Continue for about 55 inches. The scarf builds slowly as it takes 2 rows of knitting to create 1 row of brioche. Bind off with the same color that you cast on with. Weave in ends.

Golden Eggs of the Angry Easter Bird

2011-04-22T22:34:00.000-07:00

My niece continues to be in love with Angry Birds. She sings the tune non-stop, obsesses about unlocking golden eggs and demos the latest holiday flavor of the game. So guess what she asked me to knit for her Easter holiday.. 2 golden eggs. Ofcourse!

Recipe
CO 6 stitches over 3 DPNs, with 2 stitches per DPN. Join, making sure there is no twist. Place marker to identify start of row.
Next 2 rows: Kfb in every stitch - 24 stitches
Next 3 rows: Inc 1 once at beginning and again at end of stitches on each needle - 42 stitches
Next 3 rows: knit even
Next row: dec 1 once at beginning and again at end of stitches on each needle - 36 stitches
Next row: knit even
Next row: dec 1 once at beginning and again at end of stitches on each needle - 30 stitches
Next row: knit even
Next 3 rows: dec 1 once at beginning and again at end of stitches on each needle - 12 stitches
Stuff with cotton fill
Next row: dec 1 once at beginning and again at end of stitches on each needle - 6 stitches
Leave a length of yarn, snip it and thread a tapestry needle with it. Run this yarn through the 6 live stitches using the tapestry needle and pull out the knitting needle. Pull tight and weave in the ends.

A commuter smiling

2011-03-04T10:56:00.000-08:00

If you saw me smiling to myself on my way to work yesterday and wondered why, you were justified. It wasn't a Friday, Terry Gross wasn't being funny, I wasn't on the phone and I wasn't carpooling. If you're still wondering, here's why:
A utility van belonging to a floor repair/install/refinish company had this company name splashed across:
"Lori Does Hardwood".

I love this country!! :)

Red bird

2011-02-20T12:21:00.000-08:00

My rendition of the red fella:

Stitches West 2011

2011-02-19T23:47:00.000-08:00

The rubber stamp industry has buckled under the economy and I really hope it bounces back. Yarn however, continues to enthrall and hypnotize, if one is to go by the turnout of both vendors and customers at the convention. Fabulous.

Did I buy yarn? No. Did I buy books? No. So I wasn't exactly the perfect customer then? Don't judge yet. Here's some exciting stuff I found:

1. leather straps for knit/fulled handbags here - gorgeous.

2. Kollage yarns - corn fiber here and stretchy cotton blend here . Corn as I discovered, is deliciously soft and luminous. Only, I'm torn by the concept of knitting with somebody's potential dinner. But then again, it is a bit too tempting to pass by easily. The other yarn - stretchy cotton blend - was the exact species I was looking for. I'm very fond of wearing cotton but not too crazy about knitting with a yarn with no elasticity. This one solves my problem.

3. Habu Textiles here. Such curious yarns! So unique!!

Order these products I will.

Among books, I saw an enormous interest in global knitting techniques - also called 'ethnic', much to my irritation. Icelandic, Scandinavian, Peruvian, Nordic, Estonian, and a host of others I don't even recall. I got the sense that the community has plateaued out on the sock knitting frenzy, going by the number of new books on the subject.

About the Devil and the Truth

2011-02-11T14:36:00.000-08:00

Chanced upon a story that blew my mind:
The devil and a friend of his were walking down the street, when they saw ahead of them a man stoop down and pick up something from the ground, look at it, and put it away in his pocket. The friend said to the devil, "What did that man pick up?" "He picked up a piece of the truth," said the devil. "That is a very bad business for you, then," said his friend. "Oh, not at all," the devil replied, "I am going to help him organize it."

Blue bird

2011-01-28T19:18:00.000-08:00

Annika chose the blue bird as her birthday gift. While Rovio has been struggling with shipping orders, her birthday came and went. It's 3 wks past and no bird has yet arrived in the mail. So tell me, how long is a darling 6 yr old supposed to wait for her birthday gift anyhow! 2 days back, my needles got busy and this quirky creature happened, replete with bangs and a wispy tail.